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empreinte. 

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dernidre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
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illustrent  la  mAthode. 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

^;a»n^*«T»^'' 


,.»».,./>,_ 


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Innocent  of  Moscow, -^-v/^^ 


THE  APOSTLE 


OF 


KAMCHATKA   AND   ALASKA. 


BY 


CHARLES  R.  HALE,  D.  D., 


r 

I 


Dean  of  Davenport. 


« 


PUIVATKLY    PRINTED. 

1888. 


J  5^ 


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Coli 


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! 

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(^  'yi 


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INNOCENT  OF  MOSCOW, 

THE  ArOSTLK  OF  KAMCHATKA  AlSl)  ALASKA. 


Question  Religieuse  d'Orient  et  dP Occident,  St.  Petersburg,  1858,  pp. 
570,  16mo. 

Pamijdtnik  Trudov  Pravoslavnich  Blagoviestnihov  (Remembrancer  of 
the  Labors  of  Orthodox  Russian  Evangelizers).  A.  S.  Stourdza.  Moscow 
1857,  pp.  m^  large  8vo. 

Shornik  vuidainie  o  Pravoslavnich  Missiach,  i  Daitelnosti  Pravosla- 
xwnnvo  Missionerskavo  Obschestva  (Collection  of  Documents  concerning 
Orthodox  Missions,  and  the  Transactions  of  the  Orthodox  Missionary  Soci- 
ety).   Moscow,  1872,  2  vols.,  pp.  284,  484,  8vo. 

Innokentie,  Metropolite  Moskovskie  i  Koloriienskie.  Tirana  Biirsottkova 
(Innocent,  Metropolitan  of  Moscow  and  Kolomna.  By  -John  BarsoukofF). 
Moscow,  1883,  pp.  770,  large  8vo. 

Tvorenia  lanokentia  Metropolita  Moskovshivo,  Sohranie  Ivanom 
Barsonkoveciii  (T'e  Works  of  Innocent,  Metropolitan  of  Moscow.  Collected 
by  John  Baraonkotf ).    Moscow,  1887,  2  vols.,  pp.  492,  308,  large  8vo. 

Oiistuv  Pravoslavnavo  Missio7ierskavo  Obschestva  (Constitution  of  the 
Orthodox  Missionary  Society).    St.  Petersburg,  18i3!),  iB  pp.,  8vo. 

Otchetee  Pravoslavnavo  Missionerskavo  Obschestva  (Reports  of  the  Or- 
thodox Missionary  Society,  1870-1887).     Moscow,  8vo. 

Missioner,  Edjcnedalnoe  Izdanie  Pravoslavnavo  Missionerskavo  Ob- 
schestvii  (The  Missionary,  a  weekly  publication  of  the  Orthodox  Missionary 
Society).    Moscow,  4to. 

T  T  has  loug  been  the  habit  of  persons  unfriendly  to  the  Or- 
1  thodox  Churches  of  the  East  to  speak  of  them  as  well  nigh 
(lead  Churches.  The  chai'ge  has  been  but  too  eagerly  repeated 
by  such  as,  determined  upon  a  certain  course  of  public  policy, 
through  a  blind  selfishness  which  must  surely  bring,  if  per- 
sisted in,  a  dread  Nemesis,  were  not  inclined  to  think  well  of 
Eastern  Christians,  whom  it  would  have  been  inconvenient  to 
recognize  as  brethren.  A  favorite  specification  in  the  accusa- 
tion brought  against  Christians  of  the  East  has  been  that 
they  were  utterly  wanting  in  a  missionary  spirit.  In  thp^e 
days,  we  know  something  f  what  enslavement  to  t'^e  Turk 
involves.     And  what,  in  cl  amon   justice,  to  say  nothing  of 


I 


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m^nn 


INNOCENT  OF  MOSCOW. 


Christian  charity,  have  we  a  right  to  expect  from  those  groan- 
ing under  such  bondage?  Does  not  Mouravietf*  well  demand, 
as  to  these,  in  Qncsdon  Rcligiouse  (VOn'cnt  el  iVOccident, 
"  Have  we  the  conscience  to  ask  that  they  should  make  con- 
verts, when,  now  for  more  than  four  hundred  years,  they  have 
been  struggling,  as  in  a  bloody  sweat,  to  keep  Christianity 
alive  under  Moslem  tyranny?  And,  in  that  time,  how  many 
martyrs,  of  every  age  and  condition,  have  shed  a  halo  around 
the  Oriental  Church?  Not  less  than  an  hundred  martyrs  of 
these  later  days  are  commemorated  in  the  services  of  the 
Church,  and  countless  are  the  unnamed  ones  who  have  suffered 
for  the  faith,  in  these  four  hundred  years  of  slavery.  In 
1821,  Gregory,  Patriarch  of  Constantinople,  was  hung  at  the 
door  of  his  cathedral,  on  Easter  Day.  Another  Patriarch, 
Cyril,  they  hung  at  Adrianople.  Cyprian,  Archbishop  of 
Cyprus,  with  his  three  Suflfragan  Bishops,  and  all  the  Hegu- 
mens  of  the  Cyprian  monasteries,  were  hanged  upon  one  tree 
before  the  palace  of  the  ancient  kings.  Many  other  prelates 
and  prominent  ecclesiastics  were  put  to  death  in  the  islands 
and  in  Anatolia.  Mount  Athos  was  devastated.  And  yet,  none 
apostatized  from  the  faith  of  Christ.  Are  not  such  matyr- 
doms  the  best  way  of  making  converts?  It  was  thus  that,  in 
the  first  three  centuries,  the  Church  was  founded  in  those 
lands.  How  can  it  be  said  that,  among  people  who  could  so 
die  for  the  faith,  there  was  no  real  spiritual  life?  Has  not 
the  Greek  Church  shown  by  her  deeds  the  steadfastness  of 
her  faith?"  The  kingdom  of  Greece,  in  its  sixty  years  of  inde- 
pendence, has  labored  nobly  to  repair  the  desolations  of  many 
generations.  J3ut  surely  we,  who  find  excuse  in  the  circxim- 
stances  of  the  times  for  the  apparent  lack  of  interest  of  the 
American  Church  in  the  missionary  cause  during  the  first  half 
century  of  our  separate  national  life,  must  readily  admit  that 
the  Hellenic  Church  has  had,  and  still  has,  ample  scope  for 
her  energies  at  home. 

We  come  now  to  the  Church  in  Russia,  and  what  do  we  find  ? 
A  large  part  of  what  now  makes  up  the  Russian  Empire  was, 
when  it  became  such,  inhabited  by  Mahometans  and  heathen. 

*  Andrnw  Nicoliiovitch  Mounivii'lT,  iin  eminoiit  UuHBiKii  Iiiyraaii,  tlie  niithor  of  the  well- 
kjiowri  "  History  of  the  HunHiaii  ('liiirch,"  triiiiHlatod  by  Hluckmore,  iiud  i»t  other  impor- 
tant wurkH.    Ho  wuH,  fur  sumo  yours,  Vioo  Prucurutor  at  thu  Holy  Synod. 


INNOCENT  OF  MOSCOW. 


Yet  everywhere  the  Gospel  is,  and  long  has  been,  preached, 
and  God's  blessing  has  manifestly  followed  the  proclamation 
of  His  word.  Says  Mouravieff,  to  quote  again  from  Question 
Kelif/ieuse,  efc. :  "  The  loving  principles  of  the  extension  of 
Christianity  are  at  work  here.  The  Ilussian  Church,  as  domi- 
nant throughout  a  great  empire,  ditTuses  gradually  the  light  of 
Christ's  Gospel  v/ithin  her  own  borders.  Her  more  immedi- 
ate duty  is  to  labor  for  the  conversion  of  the  heathen,  Jews, 
Mahometans,  and  schismatics,  who  belong  to  her,  scattered  over 
the  one  -  ninth  part  of  the  habitable  globe.  In  those  dioceses 
where  there  are  heathen  or  Mahometans,  tlie  languages  spoken 
by  them  are  taught  in  the  theological  seminaries,  so  that  not 
only  those  specially  devoted  to  the  work,  but  the  parochial 
clergy  also,  may  be  enabled  to  act  as  missionaries.  Russia  has 
sowed  the  seeds  of  Christianity  over  a  vast  field,  ever  estab- 
lishing new  parishes,  which  most  naturally  become  also  mis.sion 
stations.  In  this  mode  of  working,  there  is  little  to  excite 
attention,  or  to  create  talk.  When  and  how  have  so  many  of 
our  heathen  become  Christians?  It  is  not  every  one  who 
knows.  But  multitudes  of  these  are  now  enjoying  the  bless- 
ings of  Christianity  and  civilization.  There  is  yet,  however, 
much  to  be  done  for  the  conversion,  and  establishment  in  the 
faith,  of  many  tribes  who  are  more  or  less  in  darkness,  and  the 
Church  still  labors  for  and  with  them." 

But  the  missions  of  the  Ilussian  Church  are  not  covjincd  to 
the  heathen  or  false  believers  within  her  own  borders.  For 
many  years  she  has  had  a  mission  at  Pekin,  and  the  most  suc- 
cessful mission  work  in  Japan  would  seem  to  be  that  carried 
on  by  her. 

If  information  in  regard  to  Russian  missionary  work  is  not 
forced  upon  the  attention,  it  is  yet  not  unattainable  to  those 
who  seek  for  it.  The  literature  of  Russian  missions  is  not  a 
small  one.  The  writer,  in  giving  at  the  head  of  this  paper  a 
list  of  works  now  before  him,  has  mentioned  but  a  small  part 
of  those  bearing  on  the  subject.  Let  us  cast  a  hasty  glance 
at  these.  AVe  shall  find  them  filled,  not  so  much  with  talk 
ahout  missions  as  with  records  of  faithful  missionary  work.  In 
the  work  first  mentioned  o  .  this  list,  Mouraviefi"  gives  a  Compie 
Rendu  d^une  Mission  Russe  ddns  les  2Ionis  Altai.     This  paper, 


6 


INNOCKNT  OF  iMOSCOW. 


one  of  those  traiiHlnted  by  Nonle,  in  "Voices  of  the  East,"* 
under  the  title  The  ^fission  of  the  Allai,  dest'i'iljes  a  most 
effective  wcn'k,  begun  in  iHlii)  and  still  carried  on,  amongst 
wild  nomads  in  the  southern  part  of  Siberia.  In  the  "llennnn- 
brancer  of  the  Labors  of  ()rthodox  Russian  Evangelizers," 
Alexander  8.  Stourdza,  a  [)iou8  layman,  began  to  give  a  record 
of  missionary  work  done  by  the  Russian  Church,  bi^twoen  ITDii 
and  1853,  Mr.  Stourdza  died  in  18r)4:,  leaving  his  work  far 
from  complete.  The  fine  octavo  volume  beiore  us  was  all  that 
he  was  enabled  to  finish.  In  it  he  tells  of  the  convenjion  of 
two  tribes  of  the  Caucasus,  about  the  vear  LS'iO.  Then  he 
gives  the  journal  of  the  Archimandrite  Benjamin,  an  earnest 
missitmary  among  the  Samoyedes  of  Northern  Russia,  describ- 
ing their  conversion  between  the  years  1825  and  18;}0.  To 
this  follow  extracts  from  the  journals  of  other  missionaries, 
two  of  these  being  Archimandrite  Macarius,  the  founder  of 
Mission  of  the  Altai,  and  the  Arch-priest  Landyscheff,  who 
succeeded  him  in  its  charge.  Then  we  have  described  to  us 
the  establishment  of  the  Orthodox  Church  in  Russian  America, 
and  a  selection  of  letters  are  published  from  the  autlior  of  that 
account.  Innocent,  Archbishop  of  Kamchatka,  to  Philaret,  Met- 
ropolitan of  Moscow,  to  whom  Innocent  succeeded.  Tlie  re- 
mainder of  the  work  tells  of  missionary  labors  in  the  Aleoutine 
Islands,  and  in  Northwestern  and  Central  Siberia.  Other  pub- 
lications mentioned  give  more  recent  missionary  iutelligence, 
and  tell  of  the  present  condition  of  the  missionary  work. 
From  such  a  mass  of  interesting  material  it  is  dilHcuIt  to  make 
a  selection.  In  setting  forth,  however,  the  story  of  that  mis- 
sionary hero,  Innocent,  of  Moscow,  for  many  years  Archbisho[) 
of  Kamchatka,  the  writer  thinks  that  his  subject  will  be  one 
more  than  ordinarily  attractive  to  American  Churchmen.  As 
Mr.  Stourdza  believed  he  could  best  make  his  great  work  of 
value  if,  "  instead  of  an  artificial  narrative,  he  set  before  his 
readers  the  doings  of  Russian  evangelists,  as  told  at  different 
times,  and,  for  the  most  part,  in  the  letters  of  the  missionaries 
themselves,  without  embellishment  or  eulogies,"  so  the  aim  of 
the  present  writer  will  be  to  present,  in  a  summary  form,  a 
translation  of  authentic  documents,  with  the  needful  connect- 

*  Londun,  JoBeph  Mastera,  IHriO.    2\a  pp.,  8vo. 


INNOCENT  OF  MOSCOW. 


Eiist,"* 
II  luowt 
imoUflHt 
lloiiKMn- 
f>li/orH," 
a  reconl 

on  iim 

ivork  ffir 
all  tlmt 

HiUOU  of 

Then   he 
1  earnest 
,  (lescrib- 
s:U).     To 
sioniiries, 
under  of 
heff,  who 
)e(l  to  us 
America, 
or  of  that 
aret,  Met- 
The  re- 
Aleoutine 
)ther  pub- 
telligence, 
ary    work, 
lit  to  make 
that  mis- 
Lrchbishop 
ill  be  one 
imen.     As 
sat  work  of 
before  his 
it  different 
lissionaries 
I  the  aim  of 
ary  form,  a 
ul  conuect- 


inj    and  explanatory  remarks,  rather  than  to  tell  the  story  for 
himself. 

"  Who  in  the  West,"  asks  Mouravieff,  "  hoars  anything  of 
the  truly  apostolical  labors  of  the  Archbishof)  of  Kamchatka, 
who  is  ever  sailing  over  the  ocean,  or  driving  in  reindeer 
slodges  over  his  vast  but  thiuly-settled  diocese,  thousands  of 
miles  in  extent,  everywhere  baptizing  the  natives,  for  whom  he 
has  introduced  the  use  of  hitters,  ami  translated  the  Gospel 
into  the  tongue  of  the  Aleoutines?"  Few,  indeed,  have 
heard;  do^'btless  there  are  many  who  would  be  glad  to  hear. 

Innocent,  Archbishop  of  Kamchatka,  and  afterwards  Metro- 
[)oli|an  of  Moscow,  has  been  called  "the  Russian  Selwyn,"  but 
he  began  his  missionary  labors  much  earlier  than  the  Bishop 
of  New  Zealand,  and  was  called  to  a  yet  higher  position  of 
dignity  and  influence  in  his  own  Church,  than  that  held  by 
the  Bishop  of  Lichfielil.  Johc  Veniaminoff  was  born  Septem- 
ber f)  (August  2t'),  o.  8.),  17U7,  was  educated  in  the  Seminary 
of  Irkutsk,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1817,  and  entered 
upon  the  sacred  ministry  in  May  of  that  year.  He  was  ad- 
vanced to  the  priesthood  in  1821.  December  27  (15  o.  s. ), 
1840,  Innocent,  for  by  this  name  he  is  henceforth  known,  was 
consecrated,  by  the  Ei)iscopal  members  of  the  Holy  Synod,  in 
the  Kazan  Cathedral  at  St.  Petersburg,  to  the  newly-fouuded 
Bi8ho[)ric  of  Kamchatka.  In  1850,  hu*  See  was  made  Archi- 
e[)iscopal.  Early  in  18(')8,  he  succeeded  Uie  honored  Philaret 
as  the  Metropolitan  of  Moscow.  It  is  a  curious  coincidence 
that  Bishop  Selwyn  was  consecrated  but  a  few  months  later 
than  he,  October  17,  1841;  and  that  the  appointment  of  Inno- 
cent to  Moscow  was  announced  within  a  very  few  days  of  the 
time  when  Sehvyn  entered  upon  his  new  charge  as  Bishop  of 
Lichfield,  January,  1808. 

Of  the  first  two  years  after  his  ordination  to  the  priesthood, 
in  which  he  seemed  to  have  been  engaged  in  parish  work  in 
the  Diocese  of  Irkutsk,  we  have  little  record.  Bat  in  1823,  he 
offered  himself  as  missionary,  and  was  sent  by  his  Bishop  to 
Ounalashka.  Let  us  [)reface  the  story  of  his  labors  there,  as 
he  himself  does,  by  a  brief  account  of  earlier  work  in  the 
same  region.     In  doing  this  we  translate  from  his  own  words. 


8  INNOCENT  OF  MOSCOW. 

for  lack  of  space,  however,  greatly  abbreviatiug  hi«  narrative,* 
How  attractive  liis  exordium: 

"Knowing  how  ph'asant  it  is  for  the  true  Christian  to  hear 
of  the  propagation  of  Christianity  among  nations  previously 
unenlightened  by  the  Holy  Gospel,  I  have  determined  to  set 
forth  what  I  know  concerning  the  propfigution  and  establish- 
ment of  Christian  truth  in  one  of  the  most  remote  part.-i  of  our 
country,  where,  by  the  will  of  (lod,  1  have  been  led  to  spend 
many  years." 

Then  he  goes  on  to  show  how 

"The  Christian  religicm  crossed  to  the  shores  of  Tlussian 
America,  with  tlie  first  llussians  who  wt  ;.i,  to  establish  them- 
selves in  those  parts.  Among  tliose  who  souglit  at  once  to 
astablish  a  new  industry  for  Russia,  and  to  acquire  gain  for 
themselves,  there  were  those  who  were  I'esolved,  at  the  same 
time,  upon  the  establishment  of  Christianity  amongst  the 
savages  with  whom  they  dwelt.  Tlie  Cossack,  Andrean  Tol- 
stich,  about  1743  discovering  the  island  known  under  the  name 
of  Andreanotfsky,  was  probably  the  first  to  bapti/.o  the  natives. 
In  the  year  1759,  Ivan  Glotoff"  discovering  the  island  of  Lisa, 
baptized  the  son  of  one  of  the  hereditary  cliiefs  of  the  Lisevian 
Aleoutines.  He  afterwards  took  the  young  man  to  Kamchatka, 
where  this  first  fruits  of  the  Ounalashka  Church  spent  several 
years,  and  studied  the  Russian  language  and  literature,  and 
then,  returning  to  his  native  countiy,  with  the  position  of  chief 
Toen  (Governor)  conferred  upon  him  by  the  (lovernor  of 
Kamchatka,  helped  greatly  by  his  example,  in  the  propagation 
of  Christianity." 

The  good  missionary  confesses  that  self-interest  had  some- 
thing to  do  with  the  desire,  on  the  part  of  many  of  the  first 
settlers,  for  the  spread  of  Christianity  amongst  the  savages, 
they  thinking  that  thus  they  would  be  able  to  establish  l)etter 
relations  with  the  natives.  When  we  think  of  the  way  in 
which  Americans  and  English  have  too  ofttni  acted  toward  the 
savage  tribes  with  whom  they  have  been  brought  into  contact, 
instead  of  blaming  the  defective  motive,  on  the  part  of  some, 
we  may  rejoice  that,  in  this  instance, 

•"The  FouiidinK  of  the  Orthodox  Church  in  HuHHinn  Amorica,"  by  the  Arch-priost 
Voniaminoff,  was  publiNheu  in  St.  PetorBburg,  in  IKHI,  hikI  rKprintwl  in  Stourdzn's 
"  Bemembrancor,  otc,"  pp.  200-242. 


:■ 


i 


INNOCENT  OF  MOSCOW. 


"The  (lesiro  of  RuHfliiiHH  for  gain  borved  ns  a  moans  for  dif- 

I  fusing  the  fivHt  prineiplen  of  Christianity  among  the  Aleou- 

tinns,  and  aided  the  hihorn  of  the  niiwHionaries  who  came  after." 

Mr.  Sholikotl',  founder  of  the  American  company, 

"Among  his  many  phms  and  [)rojects  for  the  advancement 
of  the  inter  '  of  the  American  i)art  of  our  territory,  had 
in  view  especially  the  propagation  of  Christianity,  and  the 
founding  of  Churches.  On  which  account,  on  his  return  from 
Kodiak  i'  .he  y<,iir  1787,  he  laid  a  memorial  in  regai'd  to  this 
before  the  Govcnment,  and  begged  it  to  found  an  Orthodox 
Missiim,  the  exptuse  of  establishing  and  sustaining  which, 
he  and  hi:i  associate  (lolikoff  took  upon  themselves.  As  a  re- 
sult of  his  intercessions,  there  was  founded  at  St.  Petersburg 
a  mission  of  eight  monks,  under  vlie  lead  of  Archimandrite 
Joseph,  for  the  ])reaching  of  the  word  of  God  among  people 
brought  under  Russian  dominion.  AVell  provided  for  by  Shel- 
ikoft",  Golikoft",  find  other  benefactors,  the  mission  set  out  from 
St.  Petersburg  in  the  year  17U2,  and  in  the  following  autumn 
arrived  at  Kodiak. 

At  once  they  entered  upon  their  work,  beginning  on  the 
Island  of  Kodiak.  In  1795,  Macarius  went  to  the  Ounalashka 
district  on  a  missionary  tour,  and  Juvenal  visited  to  the  Tchou- 
gatches,  and  crossed  over  the  Gulf  of  Kenae,  both  being  every- 
where warmly  received  by  the  natives.  The  year  after,  Ju- 
venal, in  the  neighborhood  of  the  lake  of  Pliamna,  or  Shelikoff, 
"finished  his  apostolic  labors  with  his  life,  serving  the  Church 
better  than  any  of  his  associates."  Many  years  afterward,  the 
circumstances  of  his  martyrdom  were  related  by  the  natives. 
Some  other  members  of  the  mission  gave  special  attention  to 
the  education  of  the  children ;  one  of  them,  Father  German, 
founded  nn  Orphan  Asylum,  of  which  he  remained  in  charge 
until  his  ileath,  in  1S37. 

Shelikoff  realized  the  importance  of  having  the  work  prop- 
erly organized,  and  so  he  was  not  content  with  such  a  mission 
as  was  sent  out.  "  He  urged  the  founding  of  a  Bishopric  in 
Russian  America,  under  the  charge  of  its  own  bishop.  He 
fixed  upon  Kodiak  as  the  proper  residence  of  a  bishop,  esti- 
mating the  population  of  that  island  as  about  fifty  thousand. 
In  consequence  of  his  entreaties,  and  in  consideration  of  the 


10 


INNOCENT  OF  MOSCOW. 


number  of  inhabitants,  an  Episcopal  See  was  founded,  and 
Joseph,  Archimandrite  of  the  mission,  was  summoned  to  Ir- 
kutsk, and  there  consecrated,  in  March,  1799,  by  the  Bishop  of 
Irkutsk,  to  be  the  first  Bishop  of  '  Kodiak,  Kamchatka,  and 
America.' "  The  new  Bishop,  as  he  returned  homeward  in  the 
ship  Phoenix,  was  lost  at  sea,  with  all  who  accompanied  him, 
including  the  priest  Macarius,  and  the  deacon  Stephen,  who 
had  come  with  him  from  St.  Petersburg  when  the  mission  was 
founded. 

Soon  after  this  Shelikoff  died,  and  all  thought  of  extending 
the  mission,  and  of  setting  up  a  Bishopric,  seemed  lost  sight 
of  for  years.  In  the  whole  colony  there  was  but  one  mission- 
ary priest,  until  in  1816,  in  response  to  the  entreaties  of  Bara- 
nott',  the  Governor,  Michael  Sokoloff  was  sent  to  Sitka. 

A  fact  in  this  connection,  not  generally  known,  may  here  be 
mentioned,  that  r.  Russian  settlement,  under  the  name  of  liusa, 
was  made,  under  the  auspices  of  Baranotf,  in  California,  on  the 
coast  about  forty  miles  northwest  of  San  Francisco.  A  num- 
ber of  Indians  here  became  members  of  the  Orthodox  Church, 
and  when  the  colony  was  removed  to  Sitka,  went  northward 
with  it.  Of  these  Indian  converts  or  their  descendants,  there 
were,  in  1838,  thirty-nine  still  living  at  Sitka.  In  1821,  new 
privileges  were  granted  to,  and  new  regulations  made  for,  the 
Russian  American  Company,  and  the  duty  was  laid  upon  it  of 
maintaining  a  suflicieut  number  ol  priests  for  the  colony.  Ac- 
cordingly, three  were  obtained  from  Irkutsk;  in  1823,  John 
Veniaminoff  for  Ounalashka;  in  1824,  Frumentiu.A  Mordovsky 
for  Kodiak;  and,  in  1825,  Jacob  Netchvatoff  for  .Ucha. 

Veniaminoff  entered  upon  his  work  with  enthasiasm,  and  a 
hearty  liking  for  those  among  whom  he  was  to  labor.  Ho  re- 
counts how  Father  Macarius,  and  others  wlio  had  preached  the 
Gospel  amongst  them,  "  did  not  present  to  them  with  fire  and 
sword  the  nev/  faith,  which  forbade  them  things  in  which  they 
delighted  —  c.  (j.,  drunkenness  and  polygamy;  but  notwith- 
standing this,  the  Aleoutines  received  it  readily  and  quickly. 
Father  Juvenal  remained  in  the  Ounalashka  district  br*^  one 
year,  and  voyaging  to  distant  islands,  and  traveling  from  place 
to  place  with  only  one  Russian  attendant,  the  Aleoutines  whom 
he  had  baptized,  or  whom  he  was  preparing  for  Holy  Baptism, 


ncled,  and 
ned  to  Ir- 
Bishop  of 
liatka,  and 
^ard  in  the 
uiied  him, 
jpheu,  who 
lission  was 

extending 
[  lost  sight 
ae  mission- 
es  oE  Bara- 
;ka. 

my  here  be 
ne  of  Buss, 
rnia,  on  the 
3.     A  num- 
lox  Chnrcli. 
northwMi'd 
hints,  there 
1  1821,  new 
iide  for,  tlie 
il  upon  it  of 
iolony.    Ac- 
1823,  John 
Mordovsky 
;cha. 

liasm,  and  a 

lor.     Ho  re- 

iroached  the 

ith  fire  and 

which  they 

at    notwith- 

nd  quickly. 

ict  bv'i  one 

r  from  place 

iitines  wliom 

ily  Baptism, 


INNOCENT  OF  MOSCOW. 


II 


conveyed  him  from  place  to  place,  sustained  him  and  guarded 
him  without  any  recompense  or  payment.     Such  examples  are 


rare. 


"Although  the  Aleoutines  willingly  embraced  the  Christian, 
religion,  and  prayed  to  God  as  they  were  taught,  it  must  be 
confessed  that,  until  a  priest  was  settled  amongst  them,  they 
worshipped  one  who  was  almost  an  unknown  God.  For  Father 
Macarius,  from  the  shortness  of  time  that  he  was  with  them, 
and  from  the  lack  of  competent  interpreters,  was  able  to  give 
them  but  very  general  ideas  about  religion,  such  as  of  God's  om- 
nipotence. His  goodness,  etc.  Notwithstanding  all  of  which, 
the  Aleoutines  remained  Christian,  and  after  baptism  com- 
pletely renounced  Shamanism,  and  not  only  destroyed  all  the 
masks  which  they  had  used  in  their  heathen  worship,  but  also 
allowed  the  songs  which  might  in  any  way  remind  them  of 
their  former  belief  to  fall  into  oblivion.  So  that  when,  on  my 
arrival  amongst  them,  I  through  curiosity  made  enquiry  after 
tliese  songs,  I  could  not  hear  of  one.  And  as  to  supersti- 
tions, from  which  few  men  well  taught  in  Gospel  truth  are 
quite  free,  many  which  they  had  they  quite  gave  uj),  and 
others  lost  their  power  over  them.  But  of  all  the  good  quali- 
ties of  the  Aleoutines,  nothing  so  pleased  and  delighteil  my 
heart  as  their  desire,  or,  to  speak  more  justly,  their  thirst  for 
the  word  of  God,  so  that  sooner  would  an  indefatigable  mis- 
sionary tire  in  preachuxj  than  they  in  hearimj  the  word." 

But  Veniaminoff's  missionary  service  was  not  with  the  peace- 
ful Aleoutines  only.  There  was  a  fierce  tribe,  the  Koloshes, 
who,  to  use  his  words,  when  first  met  with,  in  1804,  "like  fierce 
wild  beasts  hunted  the  Russians  to  tear  them  in  pieces,  so  that 
tliese  had  to  shut  themselves  up  in  their  fortresses,  or  go  out 
in  companies."  And  even  in  1819,  they  still  looked  "on  Rus- 
sians as  their  enemies,  and  slew  such  as  they  could  take  by 
night,  in  revenge  for  the  death  of  their  ancestors  slain  in  con- 
tests with  them." 

To  these  ho  resolved  to  carry  the  Gospel.  To  this  end  he 
came  to  Sitka,  in  the  neighborhood  of  which  the  Koloshes 
lived,  towards  the  close  of  1834.  That  Winter  and  the  ensu- 
ing Spring,  imperative  duties  detained  him  among  the  Aleou- 
tines  at   Sitka.      When   Summer   came,    he   found    that   the 


12 


INNOCENT  OF  MOSCOW, 


Koloshes  had  left  their  settlements,  and  were  scattered  in  dif- 
ferent parts  for  the  purpose  of  fishing.  Veniaminoff  confesses, 
too,  that  he  had  a  shrinking  from  meeting  these  hostile  sav- 
ages. Ashamed  of  himself  for  what  he  felt  to  be  cowardice, 
he  resolved  that  immediately  upon  the  close  of  the  Christmas 
holidays  he  would  take  his  life  in  his  hand  and  go. 

"Let  no  one  wonder,"  he  goes  on  to  say,  "at  the  decrees  of 
Providence.  Four  days  before  I  came  to  the  Koloshes,  the 
small-pox  suddenly  broke  out  amongst  them,  and  first  of  all  at 
the  very  place  where  I  had  expected  to  make  my  first  visit. 
Had  I  begun  my  instruction  of  the  Koloshes  before  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  small-pox,  they  would  certainly  have  blamed 
me  for  all  the  evil  which  came  upon  them,  as  if  I  were  n,  !Jus- 
sian  shaman,  or  sorcerer,  who  sent  such  a  plague  amongst 
them.  The  results  of  such  inopportune  arrival  would  have 
been  dreadful.  The  hatred  towards  the  Kussians,  which  was 
beginning  to  wane,  would  have  become  as  strong  as  ever. 
They  would  perhaps  have  killed  me,  as  the  supposed  author  of 
their  woes.  But  this  would  have  been  as  nothing  in  compari- 
son with  the  fact  that  my  coming  to  the  Koloshes  just  before 
the  small-pox,  would  probably  have  caused  the  way  to  be 
stopped  for  half  a  century  to  missionera  of  God's  word,  who 
would  always  have  seemed  to  them  harbingers  of  disaster  and 
death. 

"  But,  Glory  be  to  God,  who  orders  all  things  for  good !  The 
Koloshes  were  not  now  what  they  were  two  years  previously 
[when  he  had  meant  to  come  among  them  J.  If  they  did  not 
immediately  become  Christians,  they  at  least  listened,  or  began 
to  listen,  to  the  words  of  salvation.  Few  were  ba[)tized  then, 
for,  while  I  proclaimed  the  truth  to  them,  I  never  urged  upon 
them,  or  wished  to  urge  upon  them,  the  immediate  reception 
of  Holy  Baptism,  but,  seeking  to  convince  their  judgment,  I 
awaited  a  request  from  them.  Those  who  expressed  a  desire 
to  be  baptized,  I  received  with  full  satisfaction.  I  always  ob- 
tained from  the  Toens  (or  chiefs),  and  from  the  mothers  of 
those  desiring  to  be  baptized,  a  consent  which  was  never  denied, 
and  this  greatly  pleased  them." 

Veniaminoff  introduced  inoculation  amongst  t'u  Xc  loshes, 
and  the  good  they  saw  ensuing  from  this  "  greatly  changed 


d  in  dif- 
jonfesses, 
istile  sav- 
owardice, 
Uhristraas 

iecrees  of 
oshes,  the 
it  of  all  at 
first  visit. 
>re  the  ap- 
ve  blamed 
ere  a  Tius- 
e  amongst 
^ould  have 
which  was 
cr  as  ever. 
1  author  of 
n  compari- 
just  before 
way  to  be 
word,  who 
isaster  and 

roodl    The 
previously 
ley  did  not 
d,  or  began 
)ti/.ed  then, 
urged  upon 
,e  reception 
udgment,  I 
d  a  desire 
always  ob- 
mothers  of 
|3ver  denied, 

Xcloshes, 
tly  changed 


INNOCENT  OF  MOSCOW. 


18 


their  opinion  of  the  Russians,  and  of  their  shamans  (or  magi- 
cians). They  neither  forbade  nor  did  anything  to  hinder  the 
reception  of  Holy  Baptism  by  those  desiring  it.  Instead 
of  despising  or  avoiding  those  baptized,  they  looked  on  them 
as  persons  wiser  than  themselves,  and  almost  Europeans." 

After  sixteen  years  of  missionary  toil,  Veniaminoff  was  sent 
to  St.  Petei'sburg  to  plead  for  help  for  the  mission.  The  Czar 
Nicholas  proposed  to  the  Holy  Synod  to  send  one  who  had 
[)roved  so  faithful  a  priest  back  to  the  scene  of  his  labors  as  a 
Bishop,  for  Episcopal  supervision  was  manifestly  greatly 
needed.  "Your  Majesty  must  consider,"  suggested  some  mem- 
bers of  the  Synod,  "that,  though  he  is  no  doubt  an  excellent 
man,  he  has  no  Cathedral,  no  body  of  clergy,  no  Episcopal 
Residence."  "The  more  then,  like  an  Apostle,"  replied  the 
Czar,  "Cannot  he  be  consecrated?"  The  objections  of  these 
prelates  remind  us  of  some  that  have  more  recently  been  heard 
nearer  home.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that,  where  the  need  of  a 
Bishop  is  evident,  such  objections  may  soon  be  things  of  the 
past. 

As  has  been  already  stated,  the  good  missionary  priest  was, 
December  27  (ID  o.  s. ),  1840,  consecrated  in  St.  Petersburg  to 
be  Bishop  of  Kamchatka,  with  the  name,  by  which  he  will 
hereafter  be  known,  of  Innocent. 

Consecrated  for  a  great  work,  he  was  as  prompt  to  set  about 
it  as  he  was  earnest  in  his  labor.  Stourdza's  "Remembrancer" 
contains  a  number  of  letters  from  Innocent  to  the  revered 
Philaret,  Metropolitan  of  Moscow.  Mouravieff  well  says  of 
these  that,  "describing  apostolic  labors  carried  on  for  so  many 
years  for  the  conversion  of  savages  in  Northeastern  Siberia 
aiid  in  Russian  America,  they  would  furnish  a  series  of  Lcifrcs 
Ed:fi(inf('s  as  interesting  as  any  of  those  in  which  the  Jesuits 
so  delight." 

We  have  space  here  to  give  translations  of  but  a  few  extracts 
from  these. 

The  first  of  the  series  tells  of  his  arrival  in  America  as 
Bishop,  and  the  beginning  of  his  work  there. 

April  ;}(),  1842. 
At  last,  thank  the  Lord  God,  in  America!     I  must  now  tell 
you  of  my  voyage,  my  arrival,  etc. : 


14 


INNOCENT  OF  MOSCOW. 


On  the  20th  of  August,  1841,  we  sailed  from  the  mouth  of 
the  Ochot  River,  in  the  brig  Ochotsk,  under  most  favorable 
circumstances,  and  directed  our  course  towards  one  of  the 
Kourile  islands  named  Simousir,  which  we  reached  September 
2d.  On  the  evening  of  that  day  we  left  the  island  and  sailed 
for  Sitka.  For  about  twenty  days  the  winds  were  favorable, 
the  weather  clear  and  wai-m,  so  that,  September  2l8t,  we  were 
but  five  hundred  miles  from  Sitka,  about  four  thousand  from 
Ochotsk.  The  weather  was  so  pleasant  that  we  held  services 
every  holy-day,  not  in  the  cabin,  as  is  usually  the  case,  but  on 
deck.  September  25th,  St.  Sergius'  Day,  about  4  p.  M.,  but  at 
Moscow  about  4  a.  M.,  we  sighted  Mt.  Edgecumbe,  near  New 
Archangel,  and  the  next  day,  September  26th,  the  day  on 
which  we  commemorate  the  death  of  the  Beloved  Disciple  of 
Christ,  a  day  on  which  the  Church  prays  that  the  darkness 
which  has  so  long  covered  the  heathen  may  be  dispersed,  we 
entered  the  harbor  of  Sitka,  and  dr'--  jped  anchor  about  4  a.  m. 
Saturday,  September  27th,  I  wenc  jhore,  where  I  was  re- 
ceived by  all  the  chief  authorities,  the  officials  and  the  entire 
body  of  the  Orthodox,  amongst  whom  were  some  baptized 
Koloshes  standing  by  themselves.  In  a  partly  official  dress  I 
went  to  the  Church,  where  I  delivered  a  short  address  to  my 
new  flock,  and  oflfered  up  a  prayer  of  thanksgiving  to  our  Lord 
God.     September  28th,  I  celebrated  the  Divine  Liturgy. 

The  Church  at  New  Archangel,  which  '  growing  old  and 
will  need  to  be  rebuilt  in  four  or  five  years,  1  found  otherwise 
in  fair  condition,  and  handsomely  ornamented,  as  if  they  really 
expected  a  Bishop  to  come.  But  all  this  is  to  be  ascribed  to 
the  zeal  of  the  principal  warden,  Etolin,  who,  from  the  time  of 
his  coming  to  the  colony,  has  been  earnest  to  have  the  church 
in  good  order. 

Our  doings  since  we  came  to  Sitka  have  not  yet  been  very 
important. 

1st.  A  mission  has  been  sent  to  Noushstan  which  will  reach 
its  place  of  destination  not  sooner  than  the  miildle  of  June 
next.  The  priest  in  charge  is  full  of  hope,  though  he  is  not 
one  of  the  most  learned  of  men.  We  have  furnished  him 
with  full  instructions  and  with  everything  we  could  provide. 

2d.     December    17th,    a   sort    of    theological    school   was 


i 


mouth  of 
favorable 
ne  of   the 
September 
and  sailed    ■ 
favorable, 
it,  we  were 
isand  from 
Id  services 
lase,  but  on 
».  M.,  but  at 
,  near  New 
,he  day  on 
Disciple  of 
le  darkness 
spersed,  we 
3out  4  A.  M, 
I  was  re- 
i  the  entire 
le    baptized 
cial  dress  I 
dress  to  my 
to  our  Lord 
targy. 

ing  old  and 
id  otherwise 
they  really 
ascribed  to 
the  time  of 
the  church 

it  been  very 

ill  will  reach 
lie  of  June 
h  he  is  not 

nishod  him 
iild  provide. 

school   was 


INNOCENT  OF  MOSCOW. 


16 


opened,  containing  now,  twenty-three  persons,  Creoles  and  na- 
tives. The  monk  M.,  a  student  of  the  Moscow  Spiritual  Acad- 
emy, has  it  in  charge. 

3d.  The  theological  student,  J.  T.,  was  sent  to  Kodiak  to 
learn  the  language,  and  in  four  months  has  had  wonderful  suc- 
cess.    He  is  a  person  of  decided  ability. 

4th.  The  monk  M.  has  been  preaching  to  the  Koloshes,  and 
not  without  success.  I  hardly  dare  say  how  great  the  success 
may  be.  He  has  about  eighty  candidates  for  Holy  Baptism, 
and  asks  it  for  them,  but  I  do  not  care  to  be  over  hasty  with 
them ;  the  more  and  the  better  they  are  taught,  the  more  they 
can  be  depended  on. 

5th.  I  went  this  Spring  to  Kodiak  to  examine  into  the 
affairs  of  the  Church  there,  and  was  comforted  beyond  expec- 
tation. The  report  of  my  arrival  in  America,  the  zeal  and 
piety  of  their  priest,  'and  the  Christian  cooperation  of  the 
Governor,  Kostromitinoff,  have  all  been  most  useful  to  the 
Kodiaks.  Poor  things!  Until  now  they  had  heard  little  of 
what  is  good,  and,  as  they  say,  they  now  begin  to  go  from 
darkness  to  light.  Previously  perhaps  scarcely  one  hundred 
of  them  came  to  church,  even  irregularly,  and  they  knew  scarce 
anything  of  devotion.  Now  the  church  is  full  every  holy-day, 
and  Lent  was  kept  by  more  than  four  hundred  of  them,  some 
coming  from  distant  places.  The  iniquity  of  cohabiting  in 
unblessed  marriages,  formerly  common,  is  now  at  an  end. 
Things  had  fallen  into  such  a  neglected  state  that,  of  the  three 
thousand  seven  hundred  souls  reported  in  the  census  of  1841, 
there  were  more  tiian  one  thousand  unbaptized.  There  are 
now  about  one  hundred  children  unbaptized  between  the  ages 
of  two  and  nine.  And  how  many  such  died,  especially  at  the 
♦^ime  of  the  small-pOx,  which  took  the  lives  of  over  two  thous- 
and!" 

The  next  letter  from  which  we  quote  shows  Innocent's  care 
for  the  young. 

April  5,  1844. 

"On  the  11th  of  January  I  began  to  assemble  about  me,  in 
my  chapel,  all  the  children,  both  boys  and  girls,  who  do  not 
belong  10  the  sc!  -  jIs,  and  to  teach  them  the  law  of  God.  The 
children  here  (at  Sitka),  between  the  ages  of  one  and  eighteen, 


r 


16 


INNOCENT  OF  MOSCOW. 


are  very  numerous.  In  the  Theological  school,  in  the  Com- 
pany's school,  and  in  two  girls'  schools,  there  are  about  one 
hundred  and  forty  scholars,  and  yet  I  gathered  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  others.  The  girls  I  taught  on  Tuesday,  the 
boys  on  Wednesday. 

About  two  years  ago,  in  all  our  American  Churches,  and  also 
in  the  Cathedral  of  Kamchatka,  the  priests  in  charge  of  the 
Churches  assembled  the  children  of  both  sexes  in  Church  once 
or  tw'ce  a  week,  and  taught  them  the  law  of  God  and  their 
duties  in  general.  And  I  am  happy  to  say  that  Hiis  year,  if 
the  priests  in  (ill  the  Churches  of  the  Diocese  have  not  kept 
up  that  custom,  yet  the  greater  part  of  them  are  diligent  in 
this  part  of  their  work. 

At  this  time,  the  children  receiving  instruction  in  the 
Churches  throughout  the  Diocese  must  numl)er  about  four 
hundred,  besides  the  scholars  in  the  schools,  who  would  swell 
the  number  to  more  than  six  hundred,  or  the  thirty-fifth  part 
of  all  the  inhabitants." 

In  another  part  of  the  same  letter  he  speaks  of  the  Koloshes: 

"The  Koloshes,  our  neighbors,  thank  God,  continue  to  come 
to  the  Holy  Baptism.  In  Easter  week  thirty-five  of  them  were 
baptized,  at  tbeir  own  request,  and  at  no  one's  persunsion.  In 
the  Lent  just  past  those  already  baptized,  who  all  lived  near 
the  fort,  were  very  particular  in  keeping  the  fust,  and  that 
without  any  special  suggestion  on  my  part  —  indeed,  they  were 
not  a  whit  behind  the  Russians  in  their  observance." 

June,  184"). 

"The  word  of  truth  begins  to  extend  more  and  more  in  the 
northern  coasts  of  America.  The  Priest  Golovin  was  in  those 
parts  last  year,  1844.  and  during  his  stay  there  had  an  oppor- 
tunity of  seeing,  in  their  settlements,  almost  all  of  those  bap- 
tized by  him  on  the  occasion  of  his  first  visit,  the  year  j)re- 
vious,  and,  thank  God,  if  not  (ill,  still  a  good  part  of  them 
remembered  and  tried  to  fulfill  the  promises  made  at  tl  -^ir  bap- 
tism, and  some  of  thone  most  penetrated  with  the  word  of 
truth  have  tried  to  bear  testimony  of  Christianity  to  their 
heatlien  friends,  and  have  persuaded  many  of  them  to  be  bap- 
tized. The  Kvichpak  Church,  in  September,  1844,  numbered 
more  than  two  hundred  and  seventy  natives  and  thirty  for- 


MMi 


1  the  Com- 

)  about  one 

about   one 

'uestlay,  the 

les,  and  also 
arge  of  the 
Church  once 
cl  and  their 
this  year,  if 
ave  not  kept 
diligent  in 

tion    in    the  - 
•  about  four 
would  swell 
•ty-fifth  part 

he  Koloshes: 
inne  to  come 
[)f  them  were 
suns  ion.  In 
ill  lived  near 
>st,  and  that 
ed,  they  were 
!e." 

UNE,   IHii). 

1  more  in  the 
was  in  those 
.ad  an  oppor- 
;)f  those  ba[)- 
the  year  pre- 
part  of  them 
3  at  tl  nr  bap- 
the    word    of 
nity  to  their 
?An  to  bo  bap- 
44:,  numbered 
d  thirty  for- 


INNOCENT  OF  MOSCOW. 


17 


eigners,  Avhilst  in  1S43  there  were  of  the  Christians  there 
thirty  foreigners  and  four  natives,  the  same  of  whom  the  Holy 
Synod  told  me  wben  I  was  in  St.  Petersburg.  One  of  these 
especially  very  heartily  cooperated  Avith  the  priest.  The  na- 
tives expressing  with  one  mouth  a  desire  to  have  a  priest  living 
amongst  them,  it  only  remained  for  me  to  proceed  to  the  found- 
ing of  an  independent  mission  there,  and,  thank  God,  the  mis- 
sion is  already  organized  and  has  gone  tliere  this  year.  The 
priest  Jacob  Netchvatoif  is  in  charge  of  this  mission,  the 
same  whom  I  wished  to  send  to  the  Kenae  mission,  and  who 
was  reported  as  belonging  to  it,  but,  as  the  work  in  the  north 
was  more  important,  I  sent  him  to  the  Kvichpak  mission.  To 
the  Kenae  mission  has  been  sent  the  Monk  Nicholas  (a  deacon), 
who  has  gone  there  this  year. 

This  year,  1845,  after  leaving  Petropaulovsky,  where  I  ar- 
rived by  the  mercy  of  God,  June  2d,  I  expect  to  visit  the 
Aleoutine  Islands,  and  next  summer  to  take  a  sea  voyage  to 

Kamchatka." 

May  1,  1848. 

"From  reports  received  by  me  last  September  from  the 
Kenae  and  Kvichpak  missionaries,  it  is  clear  that  the  Lord 
does  not  cease  to  bless  their  labors  with  visible  success.  The 
missionaries,  too,  labor  with  all  zeal  and  .judgment,  not  striving 
to  increase  unduly  the  number  of  the  baptized ;  on  the  con- 
trary, they  exercise  great  circumspection  in  receiving  those 
who  come  to  them  desirous  of  Holy  Baptism.  The  Kenae  in 
general  receive  Christianity  with  gladness,  ana  in  a  spirit  c  *" 
obedience  to  God's  law.  They  listen  to  instruction  with  untir- 
ing attention,  fulfill  their  Christian  duties  heartily  and  with 
all  care,  and,  what  is  very  noteworthy,  on  a  single  expression 
of  the  missionary's  wish,  they  give  up  their  national  dances 
and  songs,  replacing  the  latter  with  our  hymns,  so  far  as  they 
are  translated  into  their  language. 

All  tlieir  former  SlianKHis  have  been  baptized,  and  the  greater 
part  of  them  show  themselves  to  be  very  good  Christians. 
Some  of  them,  on  a  very  siiglit  hint  from  the  missionary,  cut 
off  their  hair  (which  previously  they  had  highly  prized),  in 
token  that  they  not  only  followed,  but  were  glad  to  fulfill  their 
missionary's  teachings. 


Ni  S'tft^ 


18 


INNOCENT  OF  MOSCOW. 


The  word  of  God,  sown  by  the  missionaries  on  the  border  of 
the  ocean,  has  been  conveyed  without  any  direct  instrumental- 
ity of  theirs,  by  those  converted  from  heathenism,  to  a  people 
living  at  the  extreme  north  part  of  the  continent  of  AmoBica, 
called  Koltchans,  who  had  never  seen  a  missionary. 

The  Kenae  missionary  writes  that,  in  the  Spring  of  last  year, 
18,47,  there  came  to  one  of  the  Kenae  villages  some  families  of 
Koltchans,  with  the  intention  of  going  to  the  mission  to  be 
baptized,  but  were  not  able  to  go  by  boat.  The  Kenae  who 
saw  them  said  that,  when  they  prayed,  some  of  the  Koltchans 
who  came  to  them  burst  into  tears,  r.ad  said:  'God  has  forsaken 
us,  and  does  not  call  us  to  him.  How  shall  we  die,  for  there 
evil  awaits  the  unbaptized!'  The  missionary  was  not  able  to 
visit  these  Koltchans,  and  fulfill  their  pious  wish,  having  the 
charge  also  of  the  Noushagin  Mission,  which  now,  from  the 
lack  of  men  suitable  for  missionaries,  was  dependent  upon  the 
Kenae  missionary.  Their  former  missionary,  the  Priest 
Paitchelin,  on  account  of  illness,  has  been  compelled  to  go  to 
the  Kodiak  Church.  In  the  summer  of  the  year  IS-tC)  there 
came  in  boats  to  the  redoubt  at  the  upper  part  of  the  Eiver 
Kouskokvim,  a  number  of  Koltchans  and  their  families,  fifty- 
four  persons  in  all,  desiring  to  receive  Holy  Baptism.  They 
received  it  at  the  hands  of  a  layman,  the  i)erson  who  was  in 
charge  of  the  redoubt,  for  the  missionary  was  not  and  could 
not  be  there  at  that  time,  owing  to  his  having  so  much  other 
needful  work.  In  the  summer  of  1847,  these  same  newly- 
baptized  persons  again  came  to  the  redoubt  to  see  the  priest, 
and  with  them  there  came  also  other  Koltchans,  about  sixty  in 
number,  who  also  wished  to  be  baptized,  but,  for  the  same 
reason  as  before,  were  unable  to  see  the  priest,  and  were  bap- 
tized by  the  layman  already  mentioned." 

The  selection  from  Innocent's  letters  published  in  Stourdza's 
"Remembrancer"  makes  no  further  mention  of  the  Koltchans, 
but  we  may  surely  believe  that  they  were  not  left  to  walk  in 
darkness,  "for  God  ever  provideth  teachers  for  them  that  would 
learn  of  Him,  and  maketh  known  the  way  of  truth  to  them 
that  love  the  truth." 

The  good  Bishop  had  little  to  say  of  himself  in  his  letters. 
As  to  what  he  did  we  must  learn  from  others.     He  was  not 


INNOCENT  OF  MOSCOW. 


19 


m 


riest, 
ty  in 
same 
bap- 

rilza's 
clians, 
mlk  in 

them 

letters, 
was  not 


only,  iu  his  vast  diocese,  the  chief  of  the  missionaries,  hut  the 
chief  missionary;  not  only  n  spiritual  governor,  hut  a  model  of 
faithfulness  and  zeal.  We  are  told  that  he  became  master  of 
six  diulects  spoken  in  the  field  committed  to  his  charge.  He 
himself  translated,  and  assisted  others  iu  translating,  Ifirge 
parts  of  God's  Word,  and  the  Liturgy  of  his  Church,  for  the 
use  of  the  natives.  For  forty-five  years,  i,en  of  them  as  Bishop 
of  Kamchatka,  eighteen  more  as  its  Archbishop,  he  labored  on, 
in  season  and  out  of  season.  Towards  the  close  of  18B7,  God 
cidled  to  Himself  one  of  the  most  remarkable  prelates  of 
modern  days,  Philaret  of  Moscow,  who  lived  to  celebrate  the 
fiftieth  anniversary  of  his  Episcopate,  and  then  "fell  asleep." 
The  writer  was,  a  few  weeks  after,  in  Moscow,  where  s[)ecula- 
tion  was  rife  as  to  who  cf)uld  worthily  follow  such  a  man. 
When  it  was  announced  that  Innocent  of  Kamchatka  had  been 
chosen  to  the  vacant  See,  there  was  a  general  satisfaction. 
It  could  not  he  saiil  of  him  tliat  nearly  half  a  century  of  toil 
and  exposure  had  left  his  natural  force  unabated.  But,  though 
he  had  passed  the  limit  of  three-score  years  and  ten,  he 
entered  upon  his  new  duties  with  earnestness  Assisted  in  the 
administration  of  his  diocese  by  two  eilicient  Yicar  Bishops, 
with  one  of  whom,  Leonide,  Bisho[)  of  Dmitrotf,  the  writer 
had  the  honor  to  be  acquainted,  and  yet  by  no  means  leaving 
all  to  them,  he  was  diligent  in  using  his  vast  influence 
fur  the  good  of  his  whole  church.  '^Vithdrawn,  like  Selwyn, 
from  the  missionary  Jifld,  like  the  Bishop  of  Lichfield  he 
labored  as  heartily  as  ever  for  the  missionary  citiise.  He 
felt  that  the  missionary  work,  which  had  been  carried  on  so 
well  by  individual  zeal,  could  be  prosecuted  more  effectively  by 
organized  efforts.  He  knew,  too,  that  the  Church  of  Russia 
had  need,  for  ils  own  sake,  to  be  heartily  interested  in  the 
missionary  cause,  as  has  any  chnrch  on  which  God  has  laid 
the  duty  of  laboring  rather  than  of  suffering  for  Him.  And 
so  he  brought  id)out  the  foundation  of  the  Orthodox  Mission- 
ary Society,  in  behalf  of  which  he  issued  the  following  pastoral: 

"November  21st  of  this  year,  1809,  the  approval  of  the 
Czar  was  given  to  the  Constitutitm  of  the  Orthodox  Missionary 
Society,  under  the  august  patronage  of  Her  Imperial  High- 


INNOCENT  OF  MOSCOW. 
*  ,      „      nwirtue  of  thi»  Con- 

.litution,  the  Coancl  o    tU.  80       y^  .^^  ^,^^^,„,„,     „ 

to  me  l.n.  been  eomm.ttea  the     '  >  j  ij,„,i„,  ,„  my  <le- 

those  not  Christhins,  l.v.ng  «i    >»  '  j,.„^,,,  ,[  „„  holy 

l„a  of  hn.hlin,  «,. "-;•;'';:':'    ,.  autie»  of  the  Chv«-     • 
,eli.ion,  .s  woU  .»  >■>  the  P™  ;„„ow.c„untryn,e„  m»ny 

tian  life.     Of  »nch  ye^on    « lu    «  ^^^  j^,^,,^  „,  „,„„,, 

million.  »»'»-^'''V''    '"c    ,,«^^        the  numhe.-  of  these 

:r::::"r;er™s:i.^vh.^ 

tn>e  somce  of  means  tor  the  dcAe  ^^^_^^^  ^^  ^^  o^ho- 

bo  fomnl  in  the  sympathy  .oul  '-f^  j^  f„„„.,e,l  for  all, 

t.  ChristianB.     The  «---  ^   f  °  f,,  g,,„.t  ,vorU,  which 

rich  and  po«.  who  "e  ve"b  to 

„„ks  for  »n,l  which  need,  then  ^.^^^__^  ^^^  ^^^^  y^^j.ty, ,, 

..As  your  chief  l«»tor  and  as  tie  „     j^and  clergy, 

asU  and  pray  ^^'^^-'"\^::^Zn  'synl-'fJ  ""'^ 
not  to  leave  me  in  this  'fj  J'  ,^^^„  o„,,  1  hope  to  meet  my 
...Hlpcration.     In  »  "''"''t  *""'>  ''  ™     „^,.         to  the  Lord  onr 
eZ-ed  6ocU,  that  to.™"--;;;-^.,  ^L  riissionary  Society, 

<-^r-^"\";:r2rHug:  aua  -i^y  '.">'^  >"  ^-"''  "-^ 

in  the  work  it  is  Society."         Insocf.st, 

first  public  meeting  of  the  i  ^^^^_^_,„,^ 

Tanuary  25,  1810,  there  was  a  "P^-^'f  .'^"'"tvattetebraU 


INNOCENT  OF  MOSCOW. 


ai 


jet  my 
ixA  our 
Society, 
bw  tlie 


[y  Society- 

in  the 
Islebrated 
lis  Vicar 


Bishops,  and  an  admirable  sermon  preached  by  the  Archpriest 
A.  O.  Klutchureff  (siuce  made  Bishop  of  Kharkoff),  from  the 
text:  "Your  feet  shod  witli  the  preparation  of  the  Go8{)el  of 
peace,"  Eph.  vi. :  15.  There  was  a  very  hirge  gathering  of  the 
clergy  and  laity  at  the  Cathedral.  At  I  l".  M.,  they  repaired 
to  the  large  hall  at  the  residence  of  the  (jovernor-Genornl. 
After  prayers  by  the  venerable  Metropolitan,  the  Constitution 
of  the  Society  was  rt^nd,  and  the  Metropolitan  delivered  an 
liddrosH,  emphasizing  the  great  need  of  prayer  to  the  Lord  of 
the  Harvest  that  He  wouKl  grant  success  to  the  laborers  in 
the  missionary  field.* 

From  the  last  report  of  the  Orthodox  Missionary  .Society 
on  which  the  writer  can  conveniently  lay  his  hands,  he  learns 
tiiat,  in  ISSC),  there  were  7,720  active  members  of  the  Society, 
and  that  the  contributions  for  the  past  year,  made  directly  to 
tiie  Society,  were  125,152  roubles.f  Offerings  for  the  '"Prop- 
agation of  Christianity  Amongst  the  Heathen  of  the  Empire" 
have  long  been  made  in  the  Churches;  these  are  now  disbursed 
by  the  Missionary  Society,  and,  added  to  the  amoiint  already 
mentioned,  bring  up  the  receipts  for  the  year  to  the  sum  of 
15(),8;J7  roubles.  The  Treasurer  reported  as  belonging  to  the 
Society,  in  the  Permanent  Fund,  354,41!>  roubles;  in  the  Ite- 
serve  Fund,  7:5,0();J  roubles;  cash  on  hand,  122,432  roubles; 
in  'ill,  550,514  roubles.  Although  the  Society  was  founded  to 
take  charge  of  missions  within  tne  bounds  of  the  Empire,  it 
has  now  flourishing  foreign  missions  as  well.;|:  Besides  the 
Council  of  the  Society  at  Moscow,  there  are  now  thirty-five 
Diocesan  Committees  actively  cooperating  in  keeping  up  the 
missionary  spirit,  and  raising  funds  for  the  missionary  work, 
throughout  the  Russian  Church. 

September  7,  1877  (August  27,  o.  s.).  Innocent  celebrated 
his  eightieth  birthday.  Among  the  congratulatory  letters  re- 
ceived on  tins  occasion,  one  of  the  most  interesting  was  from 
the  yet  more  aged  Presiding  Bishop  of  the  American  Church, 

*  In  (in  article  in  the  American  Church  Review  for  July,  1878,  the  writer  gave  an  account 
of  The  Orthodox  Missionary  SoclHy  of  Russia,  with  a  summary  of  the  Motropoliuin's 
address  at  its  fuunding,  a  translation  of  the  Constitution  of  the  Society,  and  a  brief 
statement  of  its  work  up  to  that  time. 

tThe  par  value  of  a  rouble  is  about  75  cents,  or  3  shillinKS  English  money. 

tThe  writer  gave  some  account  of  "Russian  Missions  in  China  and  Japan,"  in  the 
American  Cliurch  Review,  for  October,  1878. 


as  INNOCENT  OF  MOSCOW. 

which  gftve  its  recipient  great  ploiiHure,  \\m\  is  printed  in  full 
in  his  Life.     The  letter  reads  as  follows: 


New  York,  U.  S.  A.,  July  28,  1S77. 

To  my  Mosf  licrrroid  Brother  in  Chrisf,  Innocent,  Mrtroitoli- 

1(1  n  of  Moscoir  : 

My  friend,  the  Rev.  Charles  R.  Hale,  D.  1).,  has,  for  some 
time  piist,  ke[)t  nie  informed  of  the  great  and  good  work,  f^r 
the  extension  of  the  kingdom  of  our  Blessed  Lord,  in  whicli 
BO  much  of  your  life  has  been  em[)loyed.  I  have  this  moment 
finished  the  reading  of  a  pamj)'  'et  on  this  subject,  which  ho 
has  sent  me.  By  this,  I  have  een  struck  by  several  coinci- 
dences in  the  dealings  of  our  I.  >rd  with  us.  With  the  excep- 
tion of  the  Bishop  of  Rome  and  the  Bishop  of  Mississippi,  v  » 
are,  perhaps,  the  only  Bishops  of  the  Historic  Church  who 
were  born  in  the  last  century  —  you  in  1707,  and  I  in  1704. 
I  was  consecrated  Bishop,  for  a  distant  missionary  district, 
only  eight  years  before  you  were  sent  as  a  Bishop  to  your 
more  distant  jurisdiction.  I  have  occupied  a  position  which, 
in  olden  times,  and  in  the  Old  World,  would  be  called  metro- 
political,  since  December  28th,  18(57 — January  '.•tli,  18()8, 
within  a  very  few  days,  I  think,  of  the  time  when  you  were 
made  Metropolitan  of  Moscow. 

No  doubt  you  feel  more  and  more,  as  I  do,  the  greatest 
astonishment  at  the  condescension  of  our  Blessed  Lord,  that 
He  should  make  choice  of  such  as  we  are  for  work  like  this. 
Nevertheless,  I  thank  Him  for  it,  since  it  has  greatly  deepened 
my  sense  of  the  value  of  souls,  and  increased  my  profound 
conviction  that  the  Gospel  of  Christ  is  the  only  "glad  tidings" 
which  can  bring  salvation  to  them.  , 

We  naturally  sti'etch  forth  our  hands  and  give  our  hearts  to 
all  those  who  are  engaged  with  us  in  proclaiming  salvation  in 
no  other  Name  but  His.  We  are  drawn,  however,  much  nearer 
to  those  who,  like  us,  hold  only  to  the  Holy  Scriptuves,  tlie  two 
Ancient  Creeds,  and  the  decision,  of  the  early  General  Councils, 
as  the  standards  of  our  faith. 

In  whatsoever  minor  things  we  may  differ,  my  trust  and  my 
belief  is,  that  the  more  the  missionaries  of  the  Cross  "run  to 
and  fro,"  animated  by  His  love,  and  the  more  "knowledge  is 


^ 


IN Ni .CENT  OF  MOSCOW 


28 


iiicrefiHod,"'  the  nenvpr  wi 


11  all  Ikftiu'liesof  the  Historic  Church 


be  l)r()n«,'ht  to  encli  other,  the  Imr'uinger  of  Uie  iln\viiii)y;  of  the 
(liiy  lonrj  desired  by  idl  His  Saints. 

Very  tuithfally  and  all'fctiouately,  your  u-,'ed  brother, 

Benjamin  Bohwouth  Smith, 
Bixhop  of  KenliH'kii,  and  Presiding  BinlH>ii. 

The  streiif^th  of  the  venerable  Metropolitan  was  fast  waning', 
and  April  vl  (March  ;U,  o.  s. ),  1S71),  his  work  done,  he  (lui.'tly 
I'ell  ash!e{),  leaving'  a  blessed  memory,  and  a  bii^>ht  example 
which  will  1'.'  iidluential  for  good  while  time  shall  lust. 

Laus  Deo! 


Note,  Tlio  (,'rt'iiter  r)art  of  this  pamitlilet  wns  contribn  d  as  nn  article 
in  tlic  American  Church  litsview,  .Inly,  1877.  It  was  reprinte.l  thence,  in 
pamphlet  form,  with  the  kiiul  permission  of  the  editor.  Having  been  long 
out  of  print,  and  freiinent  re<inestB  having  been  made  for  it,  it  is  now 
reprinted,  with  a  few  additions.  Copies  will  be  gladly  sent  to  persons  inter- 
ested, on  application  to  Dean  Hale, 

Cathedral  Close, 

Davenport,  loim. 


■•BOHEllDT,  PBINTEll,  DAVENPORT,  IOWA. 


